A Father's Love
by christh
Summary: A story about war, sacrifice, and a father's love. A completed short story. Note: NOT based on the comic about Samus' childhood.


"Incoming ship!" The pilot's shout was high and urgent.

Captain Tienda looked up from her display and tried to keep a calm voice. "Wh- who?"

She almost didn't have to ask. In the fringes of Galactic Federation space, and with no warning of its presence until they could see the drive signature, there was only one real option:

"Space Pirates," said the pilot in a small voice. "_Zebes_-class attack frigate."

Captain Tienda silently gazed at her console.

"Orders, ma'am?" prompted her pilot.

"Send an emergency distress signal. Power up the shields. Maximum thrust to the engines." She turned to the marine commander at her side. "Ready your troops, commander. Tell them to prepare for boarding."

"Yes, ma'am," saluted the marine and promptly began talking into his comm unit.

The captain sank back into her chair. It didn't really matter what she had said, or what they did. From this point on, there was only one possible outcome.

x x x

Commander Niroh stepped onto the bridge of the Galactic Federation freighter _Stalwart_, his claws clicking noisily on the metal floor. "Report," he growled at the sergeant in charge of cleaning up the ship, a large brute with several laser burns on his carapace.

Sergeant Daved smartly saluted in the Space Pirate way, left arm crossed over the chest. "Light casualties, sir. The ship is intact, and ours."

"Good." Commander Niroh stepped over to the limp body that was slumped in the captain's chair, and gingerly picked up the corpse in one clawed hand. He grunted in distaste. "Get these bodies out of my way. And show me the prisoners," he said, and tossed the body of Captain Tienda to the floor.

Despite Sergeant Daved's claim of light casualties, Commander Niroh passed several dead humans and Space Pirates in the hallways of the _Stalwart_. The ship had apparently had a contingent of Federation marines on board.

Commander Niroh halted, surprised, next to the body of a fallen Space Pirate. He knew the corpse. Private Yelak. "The Butcher" among friends for the sadistic delight he took in hurting human vermin and other scum. He wouldn't be torturing any prisoners this time.

And neither would he ever see the children that his mate had just given birth to.

"Sir," his escort enquired, and with a sigh Commander Niroh let the body lie and continued further into the stricken space craft.

"Are these the prisoners," he asked the guards and pointed a long claw at the huddled and pitiful handful of humans seated on the floor under heavy Space Pirate guard.

"Yes, sir," replied the Space Pirate roughly inspecting the humans, a female unusually short even by the standards of the scientist caste. Like Niroh, but unlike the troops, she had hands instead of the large scythe and cannon-augmented claw that most regular troops favored.

Commander Niroh grunted. He didn't much like the scientist, Valal. She was unusually callous, even for a Space Pirate scientist. While most researchers conducted experiments on human vermin or condemned Space Pirates or their young, Valal had even conducted experiments on her own offspring.

At least no one could question her devotion to the Cause.

"I was hoping I could use the human scum for experiments," she said.

Commander Niroh gazed intently at the humans. Broken, dejected, weak. He switched to the human language so that the prisoners could understand him. "I think we have enough test subjects for the time being. I have decided to be merciful." He saw a glimmer of hope in the eyes of some of the less experienced captives. "Toss them out the airlock."

He stalked out as the screaming began.

x x x

The Space Pirate raid had been well executed. In addition to the marines, the _Stalwart_ was carrying supplies to one of the Galactic Federation's outlying colonies. The cargo was general medical supplies, foodstuffs and---here was the sweet part---several crates of weapons for the colonists to use in defense in the event of a Space Pirate attack.

The medical supplies and the foodstuffs would of course be useful to the Space Pirates, and much could be learned from the weapons. But on the whole, the main purpose of the attack was to deny vital supplies to the Federation. The Space Pirates were planning a _long_ campaign.

As for why the _Stalwart_ hadn't been better protected ... There had been a carefully staged diversion that drew almost all available warships in the region to the site of what looked like a major Space Pirate attack. This allowed a fleet of small, fast attack frigates to gut Galactic Federation shipping while their attention was elsewhere.

Which just disproved Federation propaganda that Space Pirates were mindless brutes.

x x x

Commander Niroh didn't stay long on the bridge. His presence was not needed after he had sent off a report to High Command, an unusually pleasant duty. Including the _Stalwart_, they now had three Federation ships under price crews, flying Space Pirate flags. High Command had been uncharacteristically happy, and ordered them to return to base with their price ships. They didn't have the excess crew to safely fly another ship anyway, and the Galactic Federation was beginning to understand what was happening. All in all, the raid seemed to have been a roaring success.

He left the _Reaper_, his attack frigate, in the hands of his second-in-command, a promising young Space Pirate by the name of Dehal, and walked the short distance to his private quarters.

A stampede of five vicious little creatures almost brought him to the ground the moment he opened the door, the ferocity of the attack only matched by the violent hissing and clicking of mouth parts that accompanied it. The little predators scampered up his carapace and latched on, scoring deep marks in the surface.

Niroh smiled happily over the pain, and gingerly picked his assailants off his frame and put them gently on the floor. His attackers gradually calmed down, and Commander Niroh gazed lovingly down on his children.

They had elements of both him and their mother in him, the little ones. He sat down amongst them, and they snuggled close to his armored frame. They were too young to talk properly yet. He held the smallest one, little Suho, close to his thorax. She purred contentedly.

Yet here, seated among his children, was his grief perhaps the strongest. This ship, the room, but most of all the children, reminded him of his mate Alali, killed by Galactic Federation marines just after little Suho was born. She would never know her mother.

He played simple games with his children for a while, games to make them strong, games of slaughter and mayhem. But his mind was not really there. He sat and remembered his mate. The luster of her carapace, the graceful curve of her claws, how much she loved their children, and the vicious glee with which she slaughtered her enemies. Happy days, and now they were but a distant memory.

x x x

The Galactic Federation had of course not called all of its ships in the region to the site of what turned out to be a Space Pirate diversion. The heavy cruiser _Pride of the Galactic Federation_ had been left behind in the hands of Captain Erik Hymes.

The doomed _Stalwart_ had, against all odds, actually managed to send off a distress signal before the Space Pirates jammed transmissions. Even more improbably, the signal was actually picked up by someone capable of offering help.

Unfortunately, the _Pride_ was just a little too far away to actually be _able_ to give assistance to the freighter.

When Captain Hymes got the message, he carefully considered his options. He hadn't risen through the ranks of the Federation navy by taking unnecessary risks. It might give you rapid promotion, but it would more likely give you an unpleasantly close-up view of a Space Pirate Quantum Assault Cannon.

Reports had been ticking in for the last hours that the Space Pirates had been attacking Federation shipping singly, with attack frigates. No Space Pirate attack frigate could stand up to a heavy cruiser.

And although it was probably too late to give any real assistance, Captain Hymes knew his duty.

The neglect of which would make his further advance up the career ladder extremely unlikely.

"Set the course, helmsman," said the Captain. "We're hunting Space Pirates."

x x x

As soon as the _Pride_ showed up on the Space Pirate sensors, the _Reaper_ and her price ships scattered in all directions. There was nothing anyone of them could to do the heavy cruiser, and the Galactic Federation ship could only catch one of them.

Captain Hymes chose the _Reaper_. That was where the POWs would be.

The _Pride_ swooped like a malevolent bird of prey on the hapless _Reaper_, disabling it with a series of expertly placed shots. The Space Pirates fired a few shots back, but without much conviction. Their fire couldn't penetrate the larger ship's shields anyway. An attack frigate was just not designed to stand up to a heavy cruiser.

Commander Niroh stomped onto the bridge of the _Reaper_ as another shot shook the craft, his claws clicking angrily on the hard floor. Exec Dehal rose from her perch and saluted smartly. Niroh brushed her off almost distractedly. The other Space Pirates on the bridge glanced up as the Commander entered, but focused their attention on their consoles.

"Orders, sir?" asked Dehal timidly.

"Concentrate all fire on the engines. With luck we might hit their reactor core." They all knew it would take more than simple luck. "Prepare for boarding. Make them pay for every centimeter ground they take. Tell the science team to ..."

"Enemy closing in, sir," interrupted the space radar operator. "They will board in four, three, two, one ..."

The entire craft shook as the _Pride_ latched onto her prey, breaching the hull.

"Tell science team," continued Commander Niroh calmly, "to execute all prisoners. And keep those filthy humans off my ship."

That final task proved easier said than done.

x x x

"Second line breached. I repeat, marines have breached the ..." A burst of gunfire silenced Sergeant Terit's message. Then silence. Commander Niroh sighed heavily.

The bridge was almost empty now. As more and more of the ships functions were disabled by the Federation marines, the Space Pirates supervising those areas were re-assigned to combat duty. There was only Niroh, Dehal and a tech left.

The fall of the second line meant that the Galactic Federation marines where almost to the bridge. The _Reaper_ was doomed. There was no question about it, if there ever had been.

That fact did not worry Commander Niroh as much as it should. In fact, the demise of this ship, his command and his crew did not bother him one fig.

The thought of his children locked up in his quarters did. He had no delusions as to how the marines would treat his children. They were not prisoners of war, protected by law and centuries of custom. They were "enemy combatants", and thus the marines would show the little ones the same mercy they themselves would be shown if captured by Space Pirates.

Commander Niroh closed his eyes for a moment.

"Executive Officer Dehal. Comm tech Vizov. Your presence here is no longer needed. Take up arms and report to the First Line. Hold the marines off as long as you can. I will seal the bridge and defend it to my last breath." Commander Niroh looked at his subordinates and could read only grim determination in their eyes. "May Mother Brain protect us all."

The two others grabbed their weapons and opened the bridge door. Sounds of gunfire and screams echoed down the hall. They turned and saluted proudly in the door-frame, then turned and marched grimly towards the front line.

Commander Niroh lost no time once they were gone. He quickly sealed the door to the bridge. It should hold them off just long enough.

The Commander's quarters had only one entrance; through the bridge. And the bridge itself had only the one door he had just sealed. He was effectively cut off from the rest of the ship.

There was, however, one other way out: There was a small escape pod in his quarters. Not that it would do him much good to use it; the _Pride_ would just shoot it as soon as it detached from the _Reaper_.

Commander Niroh wasted no time and ran to his quarters. The children immediately sensed that something was wrong and for once were quiet. He quickly picked them up one by one, kissed them in the Space Pirate way on the forehead, and placed them in the escape pod. Then he sealed the door to the pod, and hurried back to the bridge.

He didn't need to look at the control panels to know that the marines were almost through the door to the bridge. He could hear them methodically cutting through the last barrier between them and total control of the ship. He had little time.

He sat down in his command chair, entered a few commands at the console, and flipped open the clear plastic lid that covered a large red button. His claws hovered over it and the little orange button next to it.

He could hear the uncouth voice of the humans now. They were mere moments away from being through. There was only one course of action left.

"Little Suho," he said, and pressed the two buttons simultaneously.

x x x

The explosion completely vaporized the _Reaper_, turning it into a cloud of debris and hard radiation. It was not enough to seriously damage the _Pride_, hovering like a malevolent buzzard over where the Space Pirate ship had been moments before. But it was enough to mask the launch of a single, tiny escape pod into the vast, empty coldness of space.


End file.
